Containers



April Z1, 1970 s. MocARTHY ETAL 3,507,417

l 'CONTAINERS Filed Sept. '6, 1967 HTTUR NE yS United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 220- 3 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A rigid container for an inflatable life raft comprising two or more shells held together by a watertight joint, the joint being arranged to -break when a lifefraft within the container is inflated and comprising a sealing ring located lbetween the shells and screwed to angularly inclined seating surfaces formed at the edges of the shells.

This invention relates to containers and in particular to rigid containers for inflatable life rafts.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved rigid container for an inflatable life raft.

According to the invention a rigid container for an inflatable life raft comprises two or more shells detach ably secured together in the closed state of the container by a substantially non-permeable joint between the shells which is adapted to break when a life raft within the container is inflated to a predetermined pressure and comprises a sealing ring secured to adjacent seating surfaces for the sealing ring formed on adjacent shells, the seating surfaces extending around the edges of the shells and being angularly inclined with respect to each other.

Preferably, two similar shells are employed and the sealing ring, which serves to keep moisture. and the like out of the container, is solutioned to form an adhesive bond between the ring and each shell.'y

Neoprene solution or any other suitable adhesive may be used for this purpose. The sealing ring, which may conveniently be made of a non-permeable elastomeric foam or sponge material such as the material known as expanded neoprene, may itself be arranged to tear when the internal pressure of the inflatable raft reaches a predetermined value, the adhesive bonds between the shells and the sealing ring remaining intact. On the other hand, the strength of the sealing ring may be arranged so that it resists tearing and instead one or both adhesive bonds may be arranged to fail when the predetermined inflation pressure is reached.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a rigid container for an inflatable life raft according to the invention, the container being closed;

FIGURE 2a is a cross-sectional view taken on the II-II of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 2b is a view similar to FIGURE 2a but showing a seal of modified cross section.

As shown in FIGURE l, a life raft container 1 is basically cylindrical in shape and is divided in a horiline zontal plane into two similar shells 2, 3. Adjacent edges of the shells are provided with a sealing ring 4 which in the closed state of the container is secured thereto `by adhesive.

The sealing ring 4 is arranged to extend completely around the container 1 and serves to exclude moisture and the like which might cause deterioration of a life raft within the container or of its inflating apparatus. The ring 4 is made from a strip of non-permeable expanded neoprene. This is a foam material of the closed cell type, that is, the small cells of gas contained within the foam are discrete and do not form passages through which fluid can travel.

The sealing ring 4 is secured to adjacent seating surfaces 5, 6 for the sealing ring formed on the shells 2, 3, the seating surfaces extending around the edges of the shells and being inclined to one another at substantially a right angle.

The sealing ring 4, which is substantially rectangular in cross-section is located within a substantially rectangular channel 7 formed at the junction of the two shells. The channel extends radially inwardly into the container 1 and around the entire periphery of the container. The two side walls and the base of the channel are constituted by two inwardly-extending flanges 8, 9, formed at the edges of the respective shells, one flange 8 having a substantially L-shaped cross-section so as to form one wall and the base of the channel, and the flange 9 on the other shell forming the other wall of the channel.

The base of the channel formed by part of the flange 8, and the side wall of the channel formed by the other flange 9, provide the adjacent seating surfaces for the sealing ring and are inclined with respect to each other at substantially a iight angle. The sealing ring 4 fits snugly within the channel 7 and is secured to the seating surfaces 5, 6 by meansof neoprene solution, thereby forming a joint between the shells.

The strength of the sealing ring 4 is such that the ring breaks when a life raft within the container is inflated to a predetermined pressure to enable the shells 2, 3 to separate and the life raft to escape.

In a second embodiment of the invention the shells 2, 3 are similar to the shells of the first embodiment but the sealing ring 4' has a cross-section in the form of a rightangled triangle as indicated in FIGURE 2b and is arranged so that the surfaces of the sealing ring which are at right angles to one another engage the seating surfaces 5, 6 of the shells. The sealing ring is secured to the seating surfaces by adhesive and is adapted to break as in the first embodiment on inflation of a life raft within the container. Use of a sealing ring of this type effects a substantial economy in the amount of material from which the ring is made.

Having now described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A rigid container for an inflatable life raft, which container is adapted to break when a life raft housed within is inflated to a predetermined pressure, the container comprising: first and second shell means; first flange means extending around the edge of said first shell means and at substantially right angles to the adjacent body thereof; second flange means extending aroud the edge of said second shell means and at substantially right angles to the adjacent body thereof; third flange means 4 extending around the edge of said second flange means References Cited remote trom the edge of the second shell means and at FOREIGN PATENTS substantially rlght angles thereto; and a sealing rlng secured to said first and third ange means and serving7 1,007,054 10/ 1965 Great Britain. to define, with said rst and third ange means, a non- 5 1,036,110 7/1965 Great Bfltampermeable joint between the rst and second shell means.

2. A rigid container according to claim 1 wherein the GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner sealing ring is substantially rectangular in cross-section.

3. A rigid container according to claim 1 wherein the U.S. Cl. X.R. sealing ring is substantially triangular in cross-section. lo 9-11; 220-81, 89 

